1. Introduction

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, Stephanie introduces the importance of looking at form in poetry, arguing that the form of the poem often has an important part to play in that poem's meaning. This may be based on the association of certain forms with particular content (e.g. the sonnet for love poetry), or through poetic technique such as repetition or anaphora.

Course

In this course, we look at the use of form in poetry. The purpose of this course is to demonstrate the many ways in which the form of a poem can convey meaning. This includes the use forms that are traditionally associated with certain themes - such as the sonnet or the heroic couplet - as well as poetic devices such as rhyme, repetition and anaphora. Poems discussed in detail include: 'Design' (Robert Frost), 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' (Robert Frost), 'Because I could not stop for death' (Emily Dickinson), 'Squash Rackets' (Carmine Starnino), 'One Art' (Elizabeth Bishop), and 'The Forgotten Dialect of the Heart' (Jack Gilbert)

Lecturer

Stephanie Yorke is reading for a DPhil in English Literature at Wolfson College, Oxford. Her first collection of poetry was published by Signature Editions in April 2012. It's called 'Both Boys Climb Trees They Can't Climb Down'.